Andile Yenana is a South African pianist.
He made an indelible mark by switching from teaching to studying jazz. He has produced and worked with many South African as well as international artists.
Early years
Born in 1968 in
King William's Town
Qonce, formerly known as King William's Town, is a city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa along the banks of the Buffalo River. The city is about northwest of the Indian Ocean port of East London. Qonce, with a population of around ...
, Andile's love for music was triggered at an early age. He grew up in a household where music was really loved. His father, Felix Thamsanqa Yenana, had a huge collection of music, ranging from jazz to
Motown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
, and other forms of urban black music
music.org.za and this had a huge influence in Andile's life. Andile took up music studies under Darius Brubeck
Darius Brubeck (born June 14, 1947) is an American jazz keyboardist and educator. He is the son of jazz legend Dave Brubeck. He spent many years in Durban, South Africa, as a professor and head of the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music at the Unive ...
at the University of Natal
The University of Natal was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu-N ...
's School of Jazz and Popular Music It was here that he became friends with saxophonist Zim Ngqawana
Zim Ngqawana (25 December 1959 – 10 May 2011) was a South African flautist and saxophonist. He was later known as Zimology.
Biography
The youngest of five children, Ngqawana started playing flute at the age of 21, eventually becoming pro ...
and trumpeter Feya Faku
''Fairy'' (russian: Фея, Feya) is a 2020 Russian drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually q ...
.Steve Dyer
Steve Dyer (born May 4, 1972) is a former Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives, who represented the 43rd District from 2007 to 2010.
Life and career
A former reporter for the ''Akron Beacon Journal'', Dyer graduated with a law ...
and others. He has also worked as arranger for Sibongile Khumalo
Sibongile Khumalo (24 September 1957 – 28 January 2021) was a South African singer and song writer. She sang classical, jazz, opera and traditional South African music. She was noted for singing at the inauguration of Nelson Mandela in 199 ...
, Gloria Bosman
Gloria Bosman ( – 14 March 2023) was a South African jazz singer who began her career singing in a church choir in Soweto.
Early life
Bosman was born in Mofolo in Johannesburg, but raised in Pimville, Soweto. She sang in her church choir befor ...
and Suthukazi Arosi. In 2005 he was selected as the 2005 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz.
Discography
*''We Used To Dance'' (2002)
*''Who's Got The Map?'' (2005)
*''One Night At The Market Theatre'' (with the Azania Dreaming Big Band, 2021)
Notes